Latino Art and Honors

Heritage Month commemorated with exhibit

The Latino GLBT History Project (LHP) commemorates Hispanic Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Heritage Month with ''Presente,'' an exhibit chronicling D.C.'s gay Latino history. The exhibit begins Friday, Sept. 19, with an opening reception running from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., 801 K St. NW.

José Gutierrez, founder and president of LHP, released a statement characterizing Presente as ''a testimony of the D.C. Latino LGBTQ community's struggle for visibility and recognition in the wider communities of Washington, D.C.'' The exhibit was organized by the Office of Latino Affairs (OLA), LHP and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.

Gutierrez describes the opening reception, sponsored by The Center, the metro area's GLBT community center, as a ''cultural, educational, and empowering event.'' The reception is free and open to the general public.

Organizers will continue their tradition of honoring Latino GLBT leaders, this year recognizing the work of Laura M. Esquivel, senior vice president for political affairs at the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund; Dilcia Molina, a lesbian mother of two and project coordinator at La Clínica Del Pueblo in Adams Morgan; and Art for Life Auction and Exhibition co-founder Hector Torres, among others.

Slated to appear at the Sept. 19 reception is Costa Rican writer, Uriel Quesada, along with performer Sophia Carrero. The month-long exhibit closes with a screening of the film Muxes: Auténticas, Intrépidas y Buscadoras de Peligro, at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Historical Society of Washington D.C.

For more information about the GLBT Hispanic Heritage Month exhibit, visit www.thedccenter.org.